Web developer, designer:
'Cushy benefits'

Bevan Calo

Name

Bevan S. Calo ("BEE-van KAY-loh")

Position

I am one of three web developer-designers for tmg3.com, the Internet division of The Meridian Group, a marketing communications company headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia (where I work) -- with satellite offices in South Carolina and Florida.

Basically, I work closely with the creative department and tmg3.com to create user-friendly, graphically pleasing Web sites for our clients and provide regular Web site maintenance and updates.

We've handled a variety of Web sites from power tools (stihlusa.com) to resorts (kingsmill.com) and local up-and-coming rock bands (lucky-town.com). I've been in this biz since I graduated in May 1999.

QUICK VOTE

Bevan Calo's day on the job sounds like something from they dot-com heyday. Have you had this sort of day -- and lost it?

Yeah. Lost the foosball, lost the PlayStation. And we're wearing ties now.

Years in position

Close to two years.

Age

I'm 27, and a Scorpio (Ox in Chinese astrology).

Education

I have a B.A. in English journalism and an M.A. in English (professional writing) -- both from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. (How I got into Web development from here is still a mystery to me.)

How did you get your current job?

One of my college professors who taught a few HTML courses and a fellow student suggested I apply. Before I knew it, I was doing several e-mail interviews that finally landed me the job.

How many hours do you work per week? And what are your hours -- as in, what time of day or night?

Approximately eight hours, 9 to 6 Monday through Friday, excluding the one-hour lunch. Sometimes we can stay as late as midnight and have to come in on weekends to get a project done on time, but that's an extreme rarity.

What's the first thing you do when you get to work in the morning?

Check e-mail and (shameless plug) read mycnn.com and cnn.com.

What time do you have lunch? What do you usually eat?

Usually about 1 p.m. I have an assortment of canned soups stashed in my desk since my boss is such a slave driver. (Just kidding!)

What time do things get tense around the office? What makes it that way?

Meeting deadlines most definitely makes the office tense. People are scrambling to get the job done on time and it puts a great deal of pressure on our team to finish without error. Miscommunication also provides some tension between the company's departments.

"I never take my work home with me. It's such a terrible thing to use up your relaxation time to do work. It only adds more unnecessary stress to your life. You might as well stay at the office and get it done so you don't have to worry about it."

If you're having a good day at work, what is it that makes it good?

It's good when work flow is smooth (or next to nil), everything online is working correctly, no clients are calling about problems and my co-workers are generally in a good mood. (That and being able to surf the Web without getting caught.)

How much work, if any, do you take home?

I never take my work home with me. It's such a terrible thing to use up your relaxation time to do work. It only adds more unnecessary stress to your life. You might as well stay at the office and get it done so you don't have to worry about it.

What does your work contribute to society?

(Fishing out the company rulebook:) "tmg3.com is an Internet marketing and Web site development firm whose sole focus and passion is defining and developing Web sites that get results for our clients." Does that sum it up nicely?

Do you expect to finish your working life in this career?

No, but the cushy benefits and staying power of the job will support me for quite some time while I work at my dream job (see below).

If you could have two more careers, what would they be?

DESIGN AND DEVELOP

tmg3.com, we learn from its Web site, was created by a merger of WebMarketeer Inc. and The Meridian Group in January 2000. The Meridian Group is an advertising agency with Fort Lauderdale and Charleston offices as well as its home office in Virginia Beach. The work of tmg3.com has been going on since 1994 and has been involved with site design and development for more than 200 projects. And we met Bevan Calo when he used our submission form here to let us know he'd be interesting in having his day on the job profiled. You're interested, too? Then get clicking..

A full-time horror novelist and screenplay writer. Or a comic book illustrator.

What's an unforgivable trait in a colleague?

Lying to my face (and then finding out they did it from someone else).

What do you do to relieve stress?

I usually squeeze in a few rounds on our dart board (with our current trouble-client on the bull's-eye), play a game of foosball with some of my co-workers, blast a couple of aliens on our PlayStation or listen to my wide array of music (from drum 'n' bass to Poe and even Dixie Chicks).

What have you been reading lately?

I just started Laurell K. Hamilton's "A Kiss of Shadows," very interesting read (Ballentine Books, 2000); "The Book of JavaScript" by Thau, extremely informative (No Starch Press, 2000); and I recently finished James Clemens "Wit'ch War" (Del Rey, 2000).

When you have one of those days on which you don't think you can face the job again, what is it that gets you out the door in the morning and off to work?

There are a lot of worse jobs I could be doing. Plus, I get to wear T-shirts and jeans to work. Where else can I do that without doing some manual labor?